Partha Rakshit has assumed the leadership of ACNielsen in South Asia, effective from Wednesday. He has taken over the responsibilities of Managing Director of ACNielsen for the South Asian sub-region. His role hitherto was of Managing Director, ACNielsen Customised Research Services, South Asia.

Rakshit takes over from Russell Farmery who moves to the position of Managing Director, Greater China. Farmery remains a member of the Asia Pacific Executive Committee (APEC), and a participant on the region’s Products and Services Leadership Council. He will relocate to Shanghai over the next couple of months.

As for the decision of handing over Farmery’s responsibilities to Rakshit, he says, “Partha has extensive experience in market research. His contribution to streamlining operational facets across ACNielsen’s strategic business units in India has paid off. We have been able to leverage our various assets in a manner that has grown our franchise amongst stakeholders by strengthening both – the client and employee satisfaction.”

Previous to this position, Rakshit was President of Business Development and Joint Ventures, India, with responsibility for managing ACNielsen’s interests in Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka as well as ORG-GfK Marketing Services (India) Ltd and the organisation’s TAM India interests.

How does Rakshit see the new role? “It’s a challenge,” he responds enthusiastically, “With this, the retail component of the organisation also gets added to my responsibilities and I think this a substantial portion.”

For him, the focus now is on integrating the synergies of the different function of ACNielsen that involves retail, customised division and TAM, “There is a huge opportunity here. By synergising these functions, we will be able to interpret data better and provide holistic solutions to our clients with models and analytics and building on the new databases. It is an opportunity and a responsibility at the same time and I want to make the most of this responsibility.”

With Rakshit assuming leadership of South Asia from December, Sarang Panchal is appointed as Head of the Customised division for India which operates under the ACNielsen ORG-MARG brand name.

Before joining ACNielsen at the time it was launched in the country, Rakshit worked at Philip Morris and Procter & Gamble, and was at one time the President of the Market Research Society in India (1990-1993) and the ESOMAR National Representative in India (1991-1996).